The Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China (Taiwan) released video footage of PAC-3 (Patriot Advanced Capability 3) missile defence deployment. Taiwan currently has more than 400 PAC missiles deployed. In the video, an officer of GHQ Missile Command in charge of a PAC-3 battery describe how his unit can be deployed for combat in 25 minutes and the battery is operational in 70 minutes.
Republic of China Armed Forces GHQ Missile Command received its first Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC)-2 systems in 1997. The MND spent another NT$179.14 billion (US$6.28 billion) between 2007 and 2021 to upgrade the PAC-2s into PAC-3s and in buying new PAC-3 systems. The upgraded PAC-2s and newly purchased PAC-3s were all delivered to Taiwan by the end of 2017 and have already been deployed across the country.
Taiwan has decided to buy an upgraded version of the Patriot missile from the U.S. to counter China’s growing threat against the country, Taiwan is also reportedly planning on purchasing an additional 300 Patriot missiles from the U.S. to counter China’s growing threat against the country. The Patriot Advanced Capability 3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) interceptors Taiwan is slated to buy are scheduled to be delivered between 2025-2026 and deployed by the end of 2026.
The MIM-104 Patriot is a surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, the primary of its kind used by the United States Army and several allied nations. It is manufactured by the U.S. defense contractor Raytheon and derives its name from the radar component of the weapon system. The AN/MPQ-53 at the heart of the system is known as the “Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target” which is a backronym for PATRIOT. The PAC-3 upgrade is a significant upgrade to nearly every aspect of the system.